Results 10,441-10,460 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (31 Jan 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I can inform the Deputy that all primary and post primary schools have access to psychological assessments either directly through the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS), or through the Scheme for Commissioning Psychological Assessments (SCPA), full details of which are on the Department's website. Where a NEPS psychologist is not assigned to a school, authorities therein may...

Written Answers — European Council Meetings: European Council Meetings (31 Jan 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The Minister for Education & Skills sits on the EU Council of Ministers for Education. This Council meets three times a year, in February, May and November. From 2007 to 2011 inclusive, fifteen meetings of the Council have been held. Of these, the Minister for Education & Skills attended six, a Minister of State attended five and officials deputised at four. The names of those who attended...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (31 Jan 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: My Department has asked the school, referred to by the Deputy, for further information relating to its application for permanent accommodation. When this information is received the application will be assessed and a decision on the matter will be conveyed to the school authority.

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (31 Jan 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department is currently in the process of acquiring a site for the school to which she refers. An application for planning permission forms part of the site acquisition process. A draft design for the school was discussed with the school authority and the design is currently being revised in light of those discussions. The Government's Medium Term...

Written Answers — School Enrolments: School Enrolments (31 Jan 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: A full list of primary schools in county order with their enrolments can be found on my Department's website at the following link http://www.education.ie/home/home.jsp?pcategory=10917&ecateg ory=12016&language=EN

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (31 Jan 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I am pleased to inform the Deputy that accommodation briefs for the two schools referred to by the Deputy have been completed. The appropriate method for delivery of these projects is being considered and final decisions will be communicated to the school authorities in the near future.

Private Members' Business. Small Primary Schools: Motion (31 Jan 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following: "— recognises that: — at a time of great strain on our public finances, we have to ensure that the very valuable, but limited resources available to the education system are used in the best way possible; and — public services, including schools, must continue to be an important part of the...

Private Members' Business. Small Primary Schools: Motion (31 Jan 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I know the Deputies opposite do not like the facts.

Private Members' Business. Small Primary Schools: Motion (31 Jan 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: We would not be debating this or other cuts in public expenditure if the Fianna Fáil Party had lived up to its responsibilities in government. Years of profligate, irresponsible spending funded through debt and borrowing were matched by economic policies which cost the economy its competitiveness and reputation as a good place to do business. In 1997, when the coalition left government,...

Private Members' Business. Small Primary Schools: Motion (31 Jan 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: Fianna Fáil acts as if we are in normal times, opposing virtually every measure the Government is required to take. One would be hard pressed to find constructive proposals from it to find savings in education, other than vague references to getting more out of the Croke Park agreement.

Private Members' Business. Small Primary Schools: Motion (31 Jan 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The Fianna Fáil Party is behaving like the Lady Macbeth of Irish politics, shouting: "Out damn'd spot! Out, I say!".

Private Members' Business. Small Primary Schools: Motion (31 Jan 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The Deputies opposite should not provoke me through their heckling as I may get closer to the bone.

Private Members' Business. Small Primary Schools: Motion (31 Jan 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: Fianna Fáil does not come into this debate with clean political hands. As a former Minister for Education, the party's current leader, Deputy Micheál Martin, is aware that almost 80% of my budget is expended on pay and pensions. He also knows we must find places and teachers for the additional 70,000 primary and secondary school pupils who will avail of our school buildings over the next...

Private Members' Business. Small Primary Schools: Motion (31 Jan 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: What members of the public would like to hear from Fianna Fáil is where it suggests savings in jobs and expenditure can be made in education. What teaching posts would it suppress, what grants would it reduce or abolish and what other measures would it take? It cannot pretend it does not have the basic data on which to base its recommendations, as it was long enough in government to know...

Private Members' Business. Small Primary Schools: Motion (31 Jan 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: This little island of ours, with its relatively small population, has been riven by divisions of one kind or another for the past 200 to 300 years. We do not need a new, manufactured and artificial division. I may represent an urban constituency but nobody could fail to appreciate the importance of rural communities to our society. Small rural communities are a cornerstone of our heritage...

Private Members' Business. Small Primary Schools: Motion (31 Jan 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: In many rural communities, the school, Protestant and Catholic churches, GAA club and local shop are the institutions on and around which the community is built. These are foundations we must seek to protect. However, the continuing trend towards urbanisation continues to pose a threat to these foundations and it is one that we cannot ignore. Between 1963 and 1973, two revered leaders of...

Private Members' Business. Small Primary Schools: Motion (31 Jan 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: In many communities the urbanisation trend has already resulted in the closure of the rural shop or pub. We must have a genuine conversation about the role that can be played by rural schools and how we can reshape our school system to ensure these communities are supported and maintained. Let us have this debate in the context of the second decade of the 21st century. Let us examine what...

Private Members' Business. Small Primary Schools: Motion (31 Jan 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: Even when all of the phased increases are implemented, the threshold for a second teacher at 20 pupils - that is 1:10 if one evens it out - will still be significantly lower than the minimum of 28 pupils that was required for the appointment of the second teacher in rural schools prior to the late 1990s. The extremely favourable staffing provision for small schools was put in place when...

Private Members' Business. Small Primary Schools: Motion (31 Jan 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: Last Friday, speaking at the Irish Primary Principals Network Conference, I undertook to enter into discussions with it about international research and possible 21st century options for small rural schools which exist in different countries and situations. Small schools close but that is because of a loss of pupils. Small primary schools which have had to face closure in recent years were...

Private Members' Business. Small Primary Schools: Motion (31 Jan 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: Incidentally, this review was initiated by the previous Government, of which Deputy Calleary was a member-----